This cohort study of nursing homes in 38 states found that states with a vaccine mandate experienced an increase in staff vaccination coverage compared with facilities in states with no mandate and no worsening of reported staffing shortages following the mandates.

These findings suggest that given the waning vaccine-induced immunity and low booster dose coverage among nursing home staff in many parts of the US, state mandates for booster doses may be warranted to improve and sustain vaccination coverage in nursing homes.

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McGarry BE, Gandhi AD, Syme M, Berry SD, White EM, Grabowski DC. Association of State COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates With Staff Vaccination Coverage and Staffing Shortages in US Nursing Homes. JAMA Health Forum. 2022;3(7):e222363. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.2363

State COVID-19 vaccination mandates increased vaccinations among direct caregivers without negatively affecting staffing levels, according to the results of a study published Friday in JAMA Health Forum.

The researchers studied vaccination rates and staffing shortages that were reported via the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network from June 6, 2021, through Nov. 14, 2021. They looked specifically at nursing home changes in weekly staff vaccination rates and reported staffing shortages.

The investigators examined data from 38 states where data were available. They found that 26 of those states had no COVID-19 vaccine mandates for nursing home employees, four had mandates with a test-out option, and eight had mandates with no test-out option.

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Gaivin, Kathleen Steele. “COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates Don’t Negatively Affect Nursing Home Staffing: Study.” McKnight’s Senior Living, 1 Aug. 2022, www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/home/news/business-daily-news/covid-19-vaccination-mandates-dont-negatively-affect-nursing-home-staffing-study.

As the skilled nursing sector looks back at a year and a half of vaccination efforts, data has shown that mandates at the federal and state level – specifically those without a test-out option – were an effective policy tool to increase rates without contributing meaningfully to worker shortages.

Initial fears of a mass exodus of nursing home workers after the vaccine was mandated was “largely unfounded,” according to Brian McGarry, assistant professor and lead author of a study published in JAMA Health Forum on Friday.

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Stulick, Amy. “Nursing Home Vaccine Mandate-Induced Staff Exodus Largely Unfounded As Booster Requirements May Be Next.” Skilled Nursing News, 29 July 2022, skillednursingnews.com/2022/07/nursing-home-vaccine-mandate-induced-staff-exodus-largely-unfounded-as-booster-requirements-may-be-next.

With the prospect of new strains of the COVID-19 virus looming, researchers are making a case for states to impose vaccination booster shot mandates on nursing home employees.

Mandating healthcare workers to become vaccinated was successful in 2021, and that produced no corresponding worsening of staff shortages, pointed out academic researchers writing in JAMA Health Forum on Friday.

Barely more than half of nursing home workers currently have received any kind of booster shot, they said, drawing parallels to last summer, when fewer than 60% had received any vaccination shots at all. The number of vaccinated nursing home workers is now just below 90%.

States mandating the worker vaccinations that did not allow the option of more frequent testing instead were much more successful, investigators found.

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Berklan, James. “Research Supports COVID-19 Booster Shot Mandates for SNF Workers.” McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, 1 Aug. 2022, www.mcknights.com/news/research-supports-covid-19-booster-shot-mandates-for-snf-workers.